Death In Suburbia
by DaisyMargaret
Summary: Ivy Mills is a regular college student...Until a tragic vampire attack leaves her world shattered and her life in danger. Her only chance of survival is the mysterious Winchester brothers, who must help her come to terms with the fact that all of her nightmares are real. Dean/Ivy romance, Bobby and Cas appearances. Hopefully this will become a series so please review :)
1. Chapter 1

Ivy Mills sighed as she slung her backpack over her shoulder, a dull ache already growing in her back from the weight of her new textbooks. She pushed her way out of the crowded lecture hall, brushing past a curvy Hispanic girl with bright blue hair who was handing out Greenpeace flyers at the door. Anthropology always seemed to bring out the weirdos. Ivy smiled. No wonder she had picked it as her minor. She strolled through the bustling UCLA campus, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her skin. Summer was drawing to a close, and as much as she loved the colour of the leaves as they fell from the trees in Autumn, she was definitely going to miss the sun bathing weather. At least she would be able to blame her high double shot-low fat-mocha obsession on the chilly weather. Not that her parents would believe her, of course. More than once they had threatened to withhold her gas money if she didn't cut back on her "reckless spending". At least she had a job now, so she could afford to pay for her coffee as well as her unfortunate penchant for buying shoes over the internet. By the time she had reached the house that she shared with her parents, she was already fantasizing about the pair of discount Jeffrey Campbell boots that she had come across while surfing eBay during her Psychology lecture that morning.

Both her Mom and Dad were still at work, so she flicked on the TV and curled up on the couch with a packet of Doritos. Her shift at the bar didn't start until 6.00pm, so she had at least another hour of relaxation time before she had to get ready. She flicked through the channels, a habit that she had inherited from her Dad, and that drove her Mother crazy. At least Ivy would be living in her own apartment in a few weeks, so her Mom would only have to put up with one channel hog. Most of her friends had already left home, but Ivy had always figured that it would be cheaper to stay at home whilst studying. Now that she was in her third year of her Psychology degree, she was starting to crave the independence that having her own place would bring. As much as she loved her parents, it would be pretty hard to have a keg party while her parents were watching Grey's Anatomy in the living room. She grinned at the thought. Popping another chip into her mouth, she flicked onto a local news station. A sombre looking reporter was standing in front of a small convenience store, which was bustling with cops and paramedics.

"….can confirm to you at home that a man and his twelve year old son were killed late this morning in the convenience store behind me," the reporter was saying grimly. " My sources tell me that both victims were completely drained of blood. As far as we know, nothing was stolen in the attack. Police believe there may be some gang activity involved."

Ivy frowned. Completely drained of blood? That didn't sound like any gang hit that she had ever heard of. Suppressing a shiver, she quickly changed the channel to something lighter.

As she swung her baby blue VW Beatle into the car park at McClelland's Bar, Ivy's mind drifted back to the news report. She couldn't help but be freaked out by it. She knew from some of her Psych classes that there were crazies out there that pretended to be vampires. Mostly they just wore too much eye liner and shopped at Hot Topic, but there were some serious nut jobs who actually drank human blood. It was enough to make her feel sick. Hoping that the busy Friday night crowd would keep her mind occupied, she hurried past the lines of cars and into the bar.

She got what she was hoping for: the locals had all turned out for their Friday night drinking session. She'd only been working behind the bar for a couple of weeks, but she already knew most of the regulars. Picking up a tray of beers, she strode towards one of the back tables, grimacing as a hand reached out from the crowd and pinched her butt. Being the youngest bartender at a bar full of middle ages guys, that tended to happen a lot. She had been furious at first, but after a while she learned to ignore it. You had to have a pretty thick skin to work at a place like this. Most of the night passed by in a haze of shouted orders and spilt drinks, and Ivy was relieved when the majority of the crowd filtered out towards the end of the night. As she wiped down her tables, she noticed a pair of guys sitting near the pool table. They were a little older than her, maybe late twenties, and they definitely fell into what her best friend Sadie would call "hottie territory". One was tall, with a mop of brown hair, while the other one was a bit shorter, with short dark hair and green eyes. They looked like they were related, brothers or cousins, maybe. As she got closer to their table, she could see that their faces wore nearly identically tired and wary expressions. She found them somewhat intriguing, although she couldn't put her finger on why. Suddenly the shorter guy glanced up and caught her eye, and the appraising look her gave her made her legs feel like they'd been turned into jelly. She quickly returned to her cleaning, heat flooding her cheeks. Ivy had only been on a handful of dates, and they'd all been pretty standard and dull. This guy, on the other hand, seemed like the kind of guy who would pick a girl up for a date on a motorcycle, take her to a bar, and talk her into bed before she could so much as order a drink. In other words, he was the kind of guy her parents had been telling her to stay away from since she was 13. Ivy spent the rest of her shift trying to keep herself busy, and she only snuck a glance at the two strangers every few minutes. They seemed to be in deep conversation whenever she looked at them, although they managed to get through a fair amount of cheap beer. Ivy was almost glad when they disappeared about half an hour before the bar closed. At least she could focus on something other than a couple of mysterious strangers.

Ivy was only half awake the next morning when she heard the rain lashing against her bedroom window. She pulled herself into consciousness with a heavy sigh. It looked like she would be spending her weekend off with her slippers and a book. She trudged downstairs in her dressing gown and poured herself a bowl of cereal. She could hear the murmuring of the TV in the living room, as well as her parent's voices. They sounded concerned, and she shuffled into the living room to see what was going on. The reporter from the night before was on screen again, this time standing in front of a seedy looking night club. The words along the bottom of the screen screamed "Vampire killer strikes again" in red and white letters.

"There's been another attack?" Ivy asked as she sat down beside her Mom. Her Mother was wearing her usual cleaning outfit of old grey sweatpants and a holey pink t-shirt. She didn't look away from the TV as she answered.

"Yeah, they found a young woman in one of the bathrooms. Completely drained of blood, just like the others."

Ivy shuddered. Despite being a Psych major, she still couldn't understand how some humans could be capable of such heinous crimes. Draining someone of their blood took time and skill- the attacks had obviously been meticulously planned.

"You know honey, maybe you should take some time off from the bar," her Father suggested, his face lined with worry. "I don't like the idea of you walking around there alone at night."

Ivy rolled her eyes. "Come on Dad, McClelland's is perfectly safe. Besides, it's not like I'm by myself."

Her Father frowned. "Well, I'd still prefer if you get someone to walk you to your car when you finish up. There are some dangerous people out there."

Ivy groaned inwardly but agreed. The older bar staff already treated her like a little kid. If she asked them to walk her to her car, she'd never get taken seriously. Then again, what her Dad didn't know wouldn't hurt him. He would stop fretting, and Ivy wouldn't lose what little respect she had gained so far.

The rest of the weekend passed without any more drama, and Ivy showed up for work on Monday evening in a positively cheerful mood. She'd scored an A on her first test of the semester, she'd found a twenty dollar note under the napkins in her glove box, and her Mom had promised to have her favourite chicken casserole waiting for her when she got home. Even the rain and chilly wind couldn't ruin her mood as she shrugged off her coat and slid behind the bar. Mondays were never particularly busy, and that night was no exception. The bar was practically empty by ten o'clock, and Ivy was relieved when her boss sent her home early. She parked her car in her usual spot in front of the garage, already looking forward to a hot meal and bed. She had early classes in the morning, and she was by no means a morning person. Anything less than eight hours of sleep and she went into full on zombie mode. She hurried to the front door, rain soaking through her coat, and fumbled with her keys. It wasn't until she went to twist the key in the lock that she realised that the front door was slightly ajar.

A shiver that had nothing to do with the rain ran down her back. Her parents would never have left a door or window open at night, especially considering the attacks that were all over the news. Ivy pushed open the door quietly and tiptoed down the hall, her heart racing. The lights were on in the living room and the TV was on, but her parents were nowhere in sight. The kitchen was the next closest room, and Ivy grimaced as her shoes squeaked against the linoleum. She looked down, contemplating taking her trainers off, which was when she saw the blood. It was smeared along the floor and around the counter, like something had been dragged. The bright ruby red stood out horribly against the white lino. Bile rose up in her throat, and Ivy put an arm tightly around her waist to stop herself from throwing up. She edged around the counter, terrified of what she knew she was about to see. It was strange, a small part of her mind thought as she stared at the spread-eagled body of her Father lying on the kitchen floor. It was strange how wrong all of those television crime shows were. You always saw victims at crime scenes or lying on a slab in the mortuary, but they never managed to convey the chalkiness of the skin, or the blankness of the stare of a dead person.

Ivy dropped to her knees beside her father's body and took his head in her hands. His skin was cold, and he felt horribly withered and small. Tears splashed down her cheeks as she cradled her father. She couldn't process, couldn't even begin to understand what was happening. It was like everything in her body had shut down, and all she could do was cry. She heard a sound behind her, so quiet it could have been her imagination, but she couldn't make herself move. When the hand grabbed the back of her coat and yanked her into the air, it barely even came as a surprise. Ivy felt herself be thrown across the room, and she hit the floor with a bone jarring thud. The pain seemed to wake her up, and she scrambled backwards, her eyes searching desperately for something she could use as a weapon. Her attacker was moving lazily towards her, the way a cat stalks a baby bird. He was tall and thin, with greying hair and pale skin. He was watching her with disdain, like she was wasting his valuable time. Ivy pulled herself up with the kitchen counter, still facing the intruder. Her hands brushed something hard and cold. She glanced down and saw the large knife that her mother used for cutting up meat. Her fingers wrapped around the handle and she held it out in front of her. The man stared at the knife for a long moment and then laughed.

"Oh you humans," He said, still chuckling. "So foolish. So hopeful. No wonder you die so easily."

"Stay away from me," Ivy choked, tightening her grip on the knife. "I mean it."

The man tilted his head to the side and slowly and deliberately licked his lips. "But my dear, you look simply delicious. And I'm not one to let my meals get away."

Ivy barely had time to swing the knife before the man sprang at her and everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing Ivy was aware of as she drifted into consciousness was the familiar smell of whiskey.

"If Heaven smells like McClelland's, I'm going to be seriously pissed," She croaked, pulling herself up onto her elbows. She heard a chuckle, and she squinted, trying to get a sense of where she was. From what she could gather, she was lying on one of two single beds in what looked like a cheap motel room. She tried to sit up further, but a stabbing pain burned in her neck and she fell with a thump onto her back.

"Hey, easy," A voice said, sounding concerned. She looked up and stared in shock.

"Aren't…Aren't you that guy from the bar?" She managed. The guy grinned, his smile a mixture of arrogance and worry.

"I guess you never forget a pretty face, huh. My name's Dean Winchester."

"Ivy Mills," she replied, her neck still throbbing. She reached up and touched the side of her neck gingerly. She drew her hand back with a gasp as she felt two small puncture marks in her skin.

"Careful, that'll take time to heal," Dean said, his voice gentle.

"What…What happened?" Ivy asked. Deep down she knew, but she needed to hear it from someone else, to prove to herself that she wasn't crazy.

"You were attacked by vampires," Dean's tone was matter of fact. "My brother Sam and I have been trying to track them for the past few days. We finally managed to follow some of them, and they led us to your house. We tried to stop them from attacking your parents, but they had sentries posted out the back. By the time we ganked the bloodsuckers, your parents were already dead and you were headed for the dirt as well. We managed to get the vamp off you but he got away while we were trying to stop the bleeding."

Ivy closed her eyes, but she couldn't stop tears from leaking out. She made no move to brush them off her cheeks. "So my…..my parents are dead?"

"I'm sorry," Dean said quietly. There was a strange, sincere empathy in his voice as he spoke.

"I don't understand," Ivy said, tears still flowing freely. "Vampires aren't real. They can't be real. They're just stories."

"I hate to break it to you sweetheart, but vamps are definitely real, and they don't sparkle in the sun and live off Bambi like they do in the stories. They're monsters, and they'll kill you as soon as look at you."

Ivy was spared having to respond by the sound of the door opening. Dean's tall companion from the bar walked in, a laptop bag slung over his shoulder.

"How's she doing?" He asked, dropping the bag onto the coffee table. He looked tired and pale.

"She can hear you," Ivy muttered without emotion. Her mind was swirling, and she felt sick with grief. It was beginning to dawn on her that she was all alone. Both of her parents had been only children, and her grandparents had all passed away when she was younger. Ivy was the only one left.

"Oh, uh, sorry," The guy said awkwardly. He turned to Dean. "I called Bobby. He said he'd be here by tonight."

"You called Bobby, Sam? Why?"

"Dean, five people have been killed and we still don't even know where the vamps are or how many of them there are," Sam sounded exasperated. "I figured we could use all the help we could get."

"Yeah, I guess. What about Cas?"

Sam shrugged and pulled a cellphone out of his pocket.

"Cas, it's Sam. We're at the Galloway Motel in LA, room seven."

Ivy sat up, ignoring the pain in her neck and Dean's protests. "Who are Bobby and Cas? And who the hell are you guys? How do you know about-"

Ivy broke off, her mouth hanging open. A dark haired man in a tan trench coat had just appeared in the middle of the room. Dean and Sam nodded at him in greeting , completely unruffled at his appearance. Dean grinned at Ivy.

"Ivy, this is Castiel. He's an angel."

Ivy turned to look at Castiel, who was wearing a blank, almost bored expression.

"I'm actually a fallen angel," He said, glancing at Dean. Ivy took one look at their earnest expressions and covered her face with her hands.

"I think you should pass me that whiskey bottle."


	3. Chapter 3

"So you guys hunt monsters. That's what you're telling me. Like, vampires and werewolves and demons."

"And Wendigos," Dean supplied cheerfully. "And Djinn, ghosts, witches….The list goes on."

Ivy closed her eyes and exhaled. She had a throbbing headache, her throat was dry and sore, and her whole body felt like it had been hit by a train. Castiel had somehow managed to heal the marks on her neck, which had freaked her out, but she was still struggling with too many different kinds of pain. When she opened her eyes, she caught Sam and Dean trading a dark look.

"What? What aren't you telling me?" She demanded. Sam looked at her guiltily.

"It's just….Well, Cas thinks he knows who the Vamp is that attacked you."

"Great, so why aren't you guys off staking him or giving him a holy water shower or something?"

Sam frowned. "The Vampire's name is Edmund. And he's old, really old, which means he's strong. Cas thinks he's a tracker."

"A tracker?"

"A tracker is a Vampire that targets a certain person or group," Castiel supplied in his strangely monotonous voice. "Edmund attacked your family, but you were the target. He's powerful, and incredibly focussed. Now that he's tasted your blood, he won't stop hunting until he drains you completely."

"Geez, thanks for the bedtime story, Cas," Dean rolled his eyes. "Look, we aren't going to let anything happen to you. We're just gonna wait 'til Bobby gets here, and then we'll come up with a plan to nail this son of a bitch."

Ivy nodded mutely and wrapped her arms around her legs, hugging them like she did when she was anxious. She had pushed her grief to the back of her mind for now, holding it at bay whilst she considered what she had just learned. Monsters and demons were real, there was a fallen angel wearing a trench coat standing by the TV, and a powerful Vampire wanted to drain her faster than a cold beer on a hot day. It was all too much.

Ivy spent the rest of the afternoon curled up on the sofa, her eyes glued to the TV without actually watching anything. Sam and Dean came and went sporadically throughout the day, although at one point they both left to get food, leaving her with Castiel. Ivy didn't know what to say to him: after all, how could you have a normal conversation with an angel? She had never been particularly religious, although she did enjoy the peaceful and comforting atmosphere of church on the odd occasion that her parents had taken her. But she had never dreamed that she would be sitting in a hotel room with an angel in a cheap suit while 'Cheers' played in the background. Eventually Ivy got up to get a glass of water, and she decided that she couldn't take the awkward silence any longer.

"So, uh, how do you know the Winchesters?" She asked lamely.

"We share….common interests," Castiel replied. The tone of his voice never changed, and it was starting to irritate Ivy.

"Riiiiiiiight," She said after taking a sip. "So what, you just decided to float on down to Earth and shack up with the Scooby Gang out there?"

"I don't know what this 'Scooby' you refer to is, but I can assure you that Sam and Dean do not belong to any gang. And I did not float to Earth- I died, and was brought back to life by God."

Ivy sat down on the sofa with a thud. Castiel looked totally serious, as he had all afternoon.

"So…..You've been to heaven, then," Ivy said, her mind racing.

"Yes."

"Do you know if…..I mean, are my parents there?"

Castiel's expression changed for the first time. He looked almost guarded, like he was trying to figure out how to answer her question.

"If your parents lived good lives, then they will have risen. If they sinned, they will have descended into hell."

Ivy jumped off the sofa, fuming. "Of course they lived good lives! They were teachers, they paid their taxes, they donated to charity and they didn't even drink! How much better do you want?!"

Castiel looked surprised. "I was merely trying to convey the idea that humans sometimes have a different idea of what sin is than we do."

Sam and Dean walked through the door just in time to see Ivy throw her glass of water in Castiel's face.

"Uh…Did Cas try and make a move on you?" Dean asked, looking delighted. "Cas, I told you, you can't just try and make out with every pretty human girl you see."

Sam snorted, whilst Castiel looked bemused.

"I'm going to get some fresh air," Ivy muttered, striding towards the door.

She made to open the door, but Dean leant on it.

"Sorry kid, but you can't go anywhere while Dracula is still on your case."

Ivy threw her hands up in frustration. "Seriously? I'm tired, I'm sore, your angel buddy just suggested that my parents are in hell, and I'm covered in blood. Can't I at least go home and get a change of clothes?"

Dean glanced at Castiel incredulously and then turned back to Ivy. He appeared to be thinking.

"Fine," He said finally. "You can get some clothes, but not from home. There'll be cops and reporters swarming that place, and we only just managed to get them to let us keep you in custody."

"Custody?"

"They think we're FBI," Dean waved his hand impatiently. "Anyway, I'll take you into town to get some things. Sam and Cas, you stay here and wait for Bobby."

Sam nodded, whilst Castiel was still wiping water off his face. Ivy felt a twinge of guilt, but only for a moment. Dean opened the door and looked outside, taking in the surroundings. Finally, he stepped out.

"Stay beside me, and don't talk to anyone," he muttered, leading her towards a shiny black Impala.

"Well isn't this going to be fun," Ivy said sarcastically. She couldn't tell for sure, but she thought that Dean was grinning.


	4. Chapter 4

"I swear to God, if you call me "kid" one more time you arrogant son of a-"

"Oh yeah, because you're acting sooooo mature right now."

"That is the best comeback you've got? Seriously? You sound like a 12 year old girl."

Ivy flung open the motel door, nearly crashing into a bemused looking Sam. She glared at him and stormed towards the bathroom, her shopping bags swinging violently. She heard Dean slam the door behind him, and was savagely pleased. The shopping trip hadn't started out great, what with Dean trying to slip skanky lingerie in with her purchases at every store. Then they had argued about what she should be buying, as Ivy wanted to choose her own clothes while Dean was adamant that he should get a say, considering he was paying. Ivy had reminded him that it wasn't even his credit card that they were using, and the argument had only escalated from there. Eventually Ivy had thrown a shoe at Dean's head, and they had decided to call it a day.

Ivy took her time changing into her new jeans and shirt, trying to avoid re-joining the wannabe Ghostbusters in the other room. Sure, she was grateful that they had rescued her, but a small part of her couldn't help hating them for not being able to save her parents too. If they had just been a little faster…Then again, from what Castiel had said, it seemed that the only reason the Vampires had been at her house in the first place was because they were targeting her. Ivy's parents had just been caught in the crossfire. She pulled on a pair of flat leather boots and sighed. How had her life been so utterly destroyed in such a short amount of time?

She heard the front door open and a new voice joined the muffled conversation in the other room. Ivy opened the bathroom door and saw the newcomer shaking hands with Sam, a large bag slung over his shoulder. He was an older guy, maybe in his fifties, with a short beard and trucker cap. He looked a bit like Santa's evil twin, if he was a small town mechanic.

"Ah, here's the little sweetheart now," Dean grumbled. "Bobby, this is Ivy. If you see her holding a shoe, duck. She throws surprisingly hard for a highschooler."

"I'm a third year Psychology major, you jackass," Ivy retorted. "Nice to meet you, Bobby."

Bobby glanced at Dean and then at Sam, who was trying not to laugh. "Uh, nice to meet you too kiddo. So you guys reckon we got a Vampire problem?"

Sam quickly filled Bobby in, while Dean and Castiel sorted through Bobby's bag, which turned out to be full of weapons. By the time Sam finished explaining, Bobby's face had settled into a grave expression.

"If our buddy Edmund had sentries at Ivy's house, then he's probably in charge of a nest somewhere in the area", Bobby glanced at Castiel, who was holding a thick wooden stake. "I don't know if the four of us is gonna be enough. Maybe I should call in some other hunters in the area."

Sam opened his mouth to reply but Ivy beat him to it.

"What do you mean, "the four of us"? Last I counted, there are five of us."

They all stared at her, dumbfounded. Well, except for Castiel, who was examining a bottle of water obliviously.

"Ivy, I admire the bravery but you can't come with us," Dean was the first to collect himself. "Vampires are bastards to kill at the best of times, and if we're dealing with a nest, we'll be lucky to get outta there alive. Me, Sam and Bobby have been hunting a long time, and Cas here has the big man upstairs on his side. You, on the other hand, have no training, no experience, and the only weapon I've seen you handle was a shoe. Sorry, but you're staying put."

Ivy flushed. "Dean, they killed my parents. If you were in my place, would you sit around doing nothing?"

Bobby and Sam suddenly looked extremely uncomfortable. Dean's expression softened, but his eyes were undecipherable.

"Trust me, I know all about your position. And you're right, I didn't stay put and act like a good boy like I was told. But I'm also pretty sure you're a hell of a lot smarter than I was. So you're going to stay here, with the doors locked, and you're going to watch crappy TV with a stake in your hand until we get back. Hell, if you're lucky, we might even let you order in pizza."

Ivy was so angry it took her a moment to regain the ability to speak.

"You patronizing asshole! In the past 24 hours I've held my Dad's dead body in my hands, a Vampire has used me like a water cooler, and I've been forced to hang out with some expressionless angel and you two Dukes of Hazzard wannabes. How dare you treat me like a child! I want to kill as many of those bloodsuckers as I can, and if you don't let me come with you I'm just going to wait until you leave and then call a cab."

Dean was glaring at her, but Ivy matched his glare with her own until he looked away. Sam whispered something in Bobby's ear, and the older man chuckled.

"I do have expressions," Castiel said, sounding a little hurt, but nobody paid him any attention.

The tension grew until finally Dean couldn't take it anymore.

"Fine," he snapped, stalking towards the door. "I guess I can't stop you. But don't expect me to come running if a Vampire starts drinking you like a juicebox."

He slammed the door behind him. A few moments later they hear the loud revving as the Impala's engine whirred into life.

"He'll be back, he just has to blow off some steam," Sam said, although Ivy could tell that he was a little worried about his brother. Bobby sighed and dragged his bag of weapons across the table and away from Castiel, who was staring blankly out of the window.

"If you're dead set on coming with us, I guess we better teach you the basics. At least you'll have a one per cent chance of survival rather than zero per cent."

"You're confidence in me is inspiring," Ivy replied, taking the stake he offered her. "Right, how do I use this?"

Sam glanced at Bobby and then back at Ivy, looking resigned. "Well, for a start, you should turn it the right way around."


End file.
